Pure Waffle #7 - Can Microtransactions Be Ethical?

One Hit Pixel: "When writing the last Pure Waffle, there was a nugget of information that I alluded to that upon subsequent reflection bothered me. Here was a game, developed by a high-end studio famous for the likes of Half-Life, Left 4 Dead, and Portal; being developed in a new and fresh genre, with an entry price tag of nothing. I mentioned that I felt that I was essentially robbing Valve from revenue they wholly deserved, thus buying a voice-pack to show my appreciation of this game. Yet at the same time, these games were getting revenue from the tournament scene, people buying entry tickets into online championships with the allure of money and fame should they somehow manage to succeed. As an average consumer, not interested in getting involved with the current meta-game, I felt that I couldn’t contribute in that way. The likes of League of Legends and DotA2 have this going for them, but what about the rest of the free-to-play market?"
(Culture)